The Church, dedicated to St. Michael, consists of nave, chancel and side aisles, and was formerly a portion of the conventual church of Chirbury priory. It is a commodious structure, having on each side of the nave six pointed arches rising from circular pillars. There is a fine tower at the west end, surmounted by an open-worked battlement, and eight pinnacles. It contains six musical bells, set up in 1808, and partly re-cast from the fine deep-toned priory bell which was formerly used for ringing the curfew. The living is a vicarage, rated in the king’s book at £9. 6s. 8d., now returned at £180.; in the patronage of the corporation of Shrewsbury: incumbent, Rev. James Wilding, M.A. The tithes have been commuted, and £1000 apportioned to the Free School of Shrewsbury.
Charities.—The Free School was founded and endowed by the Rev. Edward Lewis in 1765. The trust property consists of a farm at Hem, in the county of Montgomery, comprising 38 acres of land, and producing a yearly rental of £65. A farm at Meadow Town, in the parish of Worthen, consisting of 41a. 3r. 23p., with suitable premises, let for £35 a year. The school premises consist of a school and residence for the teacher, with a small garden attached, and the master has a salary of £20 per annum. After paying for repairs and other contingencies, the residue of the rent is distributed among ten poor widows, as directed by the donor.
Thomas Edwards, of Rorrington, gave by will 20s. yearly, to be given in bread on St. Thomas’s-day. There are two other bequests recorded on the table of benefactions, one a sum of £10, and the other a rent charge of 20s. per annum, which have long been lost to the poor.
Dudston, a township and small village, is situated about a mile and a half west from Chirbury, and at the census of 1851 had twelve houses and 96 inhabitants. There are 679a. 3r. 12p. of land, the rateable value of which is £786. The Earl of Powis is owner of the land in this township. Rent charge, £93. 11s. 2d.
Hockleton township comprises 487a. 2r. 9p. of land, and is situated about a mile N.E. of Chirbury. The rateable value is £422. 15s. At the last census there were seven houses and a population of 38 souls. The Earl of Powis is owner of the land. The small stream of the Camlad intersects the township. The tithes have been commuted for £49. 10s. 8d.
Marrington, a small rural village a mile and a half south from Chirbury, is situated in a picturesque glen, watered by a small stream. The hills on each side rise to a considerable altitude, and being richly covered with foliage, it forms one of the most romantic dingles in the county of Shropshire, and is the admiration of every visitor. The township contains 1,002a. 3r. 37p. of land, and at the census of 1851 had 15 houses and 77 inhabitants. Rateable value, £801. The Earl of Powis and John Davies, Esq., are the landowners. Rent charge, £65. 14s. 11d. Merrington Hall is an antique structure composed of timber, the property of John Davies, Esq., and residence of Mrs. Helena Forbes.
Marton is a township and pleasant village situate on the Shrewsbury and Montgomery turnpike road, three miles N.E. from Chirbury. The township contains 1,318a. 2r. of land, the rateable value of which is £1,419. The village contains several good residences, and at the census of 1841 there were 64 houses and 273 inhabitants. Rent charge, £133. 11s. 7d. Marton Pool covers 40a. 2r. 37p., of which 27a. 2r. 35p. are in this township, and the rest in that of Wilmington. It is well stocked with various kinds of fish, and is the frequent resort of wild fowl. John Hamer, Esq., is the principal landowner in this township. A neat Independent Chapel was built some years ago by William Nevitt, Esq., of Marton Villa.
Middleton is a village, township, and chapelry, three miles S.E. from Chirbury, comprising 1,247a. 3r. 33p. of land, and at the last census had 31 houses and 156 inhabitants. Rent charge, £55. 14s. 7d. The Church is a neat structure, dedicated to the Holy Trinity, consisting of nave, chancel, and transepts, and has 280 sittings, of which 262 are free and unappropriated. The living is a perpetual curacy in the patronage of the vicar of Chirbury; incumbent, Rev. Robert Edward Warren, M.A. On Middleton hill are some druidical remains, which no doubt originally consisted of twelve upright stones; vestiges of eleven are still to be seen, in an upright position, and about six feet above the surface of the ground. The diameter of the circle is about ninety feet. The National School was built in 1843, and enlarged in 1848. The average attendance of children is about fifty. The principal landowners in Middleton are George Pritchard, Esq., and Mrs. Stokes.
Priestweston is a township in the parish of Chirbury, comprising 1,107a. 2r. 26p. of land, the rateable value of which is £847. 12s. 1d. The village of Priestweston, pleasantly situated three miles S.E. from Chirbury, contains fifty houses and a population of 222 souls. The principal landowners are the Earl of Powis, Sir Offley P. Wakeman, Bart., George Pritchard, Esq., David Lloyd, Esq., John Beeman, Esq., and Edward Smith, Esq. Rent charge, £82. 17s. 2d. The Calvinistic Methodists have a small chapel, built in the year 1845.
Rorrington, a small village and township in the parish of Chirbury, four and a half miles east from the church, contains 969a. 0r. 9p. of land, and at the census of 1851 had 23 houses and 111 persons. Rateable value, £532. 12s. 6d. Sir Offley P. Wakeman, Bart., is the sole landowner in this township.